Folding chair



.(No Model.)

J. A. KOCH.. FOLDING CHAIR.

N0. 540,794. I Patented June 11, 1895.

WITNESSES! ATTORNEY TNE uonms' nnzns ca, Pnovouma, WASMINQTON, n. c

UNITED A STATES I PATENT OFFICE. 7

JACOB A. KOCH, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

FOLDING CHAIR.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,794., dated June11, 1895.

Application filed p l 1894. semi No. 506,355. on model.)

To all whom it'may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB A. KOCH, a citi zen of theUnited StatesofAmeriea, residing at Denver,in the county of Arapahoe and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FoldingChairs; and

ings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in folding chairs; and myconstruction is specially adapted for use where chairs are arrangedtogether in series, as in public halls or auditoriums. The constructionhas, however, equal advantages as a single chair or stool, and possessesall the functions of a fold- I ing camp chair.

The device is adapted to be folded up into small compass, and will befully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which isillustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of my improvedconstruction, several chairs being shown connected, one being folded andanother partly folded; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the chair partlyfolded. Fig. 3 is an underneath view of the bottom of the chair. Fig. 4is a side elevation on a larger scale, showing the pivoted arm'sconnecting the chair-legs. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the manner ofhinging the parts together. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the doublehinge-plate. Fig. 8 is a view partly in section, showing a modified formof construction. Fig. 9 is a view of one of the hinge-plates shown intwo positions. Fig. 10 is a section taken on the line a; m, Fig. 4.

Similar reference characters indicating corresponding parts or elementsin these views, let the numeral 5 designate each of the front. legs ofthe chair, and 5, the rear legs thereof. The front legs are respectivelyconnected with the rear legs by the upper bars 5 and the lower bars 5The two front legs, as well as the two rear legs, are connected by twoarms 6 whose outer extremities are pivoted to the chair legs. Theirinner extremities are pivoted to each other as shown at '7. Movablyattached to both sets of arms 6 at the points 7, is the bow-shapedupwardly projecting arm 8 whose extremities are apertured to receive thepivots which connect the arms 6 at the point 7. The arm 8 is movablyattached to the seat 9 of the chair by means of the two double hingeplates 10 shown in detail in Fig. 7, which hinge plates engage thecentral portion of the arm 8, and are made fast to the seat on the underside.

Movably connected with the arm 8 and engaging the same at a pointbetween the two hinge plates 10, is the forked brace. 12 which isprovided with asleeve 12 located at the junction of the fork, andthrough which the arm 8 passes; while the separate extremities of theforked arms are provided with eyes 12 through which one of the bars 5passes. The seat is movably attached to the opposite bar 5-by means ofthe hinge plates 13 which are of the construction shown in Fig. 9. Thishinge plate is integral, but may be said to be composed of twospring-parts 13 and 13 united by a clasp 13 adapted to'grasp the bar 5,to which the seat is hinged. In use, the parts 13 and 13 are pressedtogether and riveted as shown at the rightin Fig. 10, and inserted in amortise formed in the chair seat. As shown in the drawings, two of thesehinge. plates are employed, and inserted in mortises a short distancefrom each other. Glue is then poured around them. These mortises aremade wedge-shaped as shown in Fig. 3, and fastening blocks 14 ofcorresponding shape are fitted intothem. By means of these blocks, thehinge plates are thus made fast to the seat Without the use of screws,nails or similar fastening devices.

When several of the chairs are connected,- the eyes 12 of the brace 12are located in spaces 15 between the parts 13 of the clasps which aredivided for this purpose. The part 13 of each hinge plate 13 is providedwith a flange 13 which is of a height equal to the depth of the mortise,and engages the inner edge of the retaining block 14. This flange is anadditional feature of security, and makes it impossible to displace thehinge plate by any reasonable usage, since an outward pull on the bar 13would only have a tendency to tighten the wedge-shaped retaining blockin the mortise.

Allthe hinge plates employed in connecting the parts of the chair inoperative relation are retained in place in a manner similar to thatjust described when speaking of the hinge plate 13.

Thelegs of the chair at the point where the arms 6 are pivoted thereto,may be provided with shouldered locking washers 20 which have flanges 20grasping the chair legs, and a shoulder 20 engaging a shoulder 6 on thearm 6 when the chair is ready for use, the seat being in a horizontalposition. The shoulder 20 prevents the arm 6 from moving down-' wardfarther than may be necessary to bring the seat of the chair to theposition aforesaid. The engaging extremities of the two arms 6 may beadapted to grasp the arm 8, as shown in Fig. 9, when the seat is inposition for use.

The manner of connecting the chairs in a continuous series of anydesired length, as well as the manner of folding said chairs in acompact mass, will be fully understood from the drawings, referencebeing made in this connection to Fig. l. in particular.

The rear legs of the chair are provided with upward extensions 5, whichform a support from the rear for the back 16 when in the uprightposition, as shown in Fig. 1.

To fold the chair, the back 16 is thrown down to engagement with theseat 9, which is then raised to the upright position. During thismovement of the seat, the legs 5 and 5 on one side are moved toengagement with the corresponding legs on the opposite side. In the samen1anner,and bya repetition of the operation, an entire row of connectedchairs may be folded up into a very small space, comparatively; while byreversing the operation, the same chairs may be quickly unfolded andplaced in position for use.

Where a number of the chairs are arranged together, only the outer legsof the two outside chairs need be provided with the locking washers 20,since the arms 6 where they are pivoted to the legs of the chairs, willin all other cases look themselves against downward movement fartherthan the horizontal. The feature last mentioned is illustrated at theright in Fig. 4.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a foldingchair, the combination of the two sets of side legs, each set beingcomposed of one front and one rear leg, connecting arms pivoted to thelegs and to each other, the upwardly projecting bow-shaped arm movablyattached to the connecting arms at their pivoted point, the seat hingedto a bar connecting two of the side legs and movably attached to thebow-shaped arm, and a brace movably attached to the seat at oneextremity, and to a bar connecting the other side legs at the oppositeextremity, substantially as described.

2." In a folding chair, the combination of the two sets of side legs,connecting arms pivoted to the legs and to each other, a bow-shaped armmovably attached to the connecting arms at their pivoted points, theseat hinged to a bar connecting one set of side legs and movablyattached to the bow-shaped arm, a brace movably attached to the seat atone extremity,

and to a bar connecting the other set of side legs at the oppositeextremity, aback hinged to the rear edge of the seat, and suitable meansfor supporting the back when in the raised position, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination with the parts to be con nectedand a suitable hingepin, of a hinge plate fashioned to receive the hinge pin at oneextremity, and provided with a flange at the opposite extremity, one ofthe connected parts being provided with a wedge-shaped socket, afastening block of corresponding shape adapted to fit into the socket ontop of the plate, and means substantially as described for retaining thefastening block in position, substantially as described.

In testimony'whereof I aftix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JACOB A. KOCII. Witnesses:

G. J. ROLLANDET, H. J. KOCH.

